Travel Blogs from Tateyama

... to get some happiness or something along those lines. Back on the trail we reached the top of the hill where the trees thinned out and you could see all the way out along the landscape and out to sea which provided us with a great excuse to have a rest. Then we came to Kotokuin temple which housed the Big Buddha. and although the statue itself was magnificent the whole are was a tourist trap and we quickly got out of there and made for the pub to watch some university ...

... cash points in japan are at 7/11 stores. This had not been a problem in tokyo where there is one on nearly every street, but now I was into the sticks it was more of a struggle. After failing to find one near the station and also having unsuccessfully tried to piggyback on McDonald's wifi I resorted to heading towards my first destination, the great Buddha. Thankfully with it being such a tourist trap, there was a 7/11 just around the corner and I ...

... walk towards the bridge underneath the tracks. Take a right as soon as you cross the tracks and you will see a whole new world of Izakayas (Japanese Bars). Andy's Izakaya is most famous but hard to find a spot. We reached at around 8PM and the bar was fully reserved with no space. We walked back and went to the opposite side of the tracks to spot an izakaya with a nice outdoor seating. Tried the Yakitori and house beer. You can't go wrong with it.

I'm a Florida native. I've lived in the Low Country of Savannah (swamp), and I've lived in Bahrain (desert). I think that qualifies me to be a good judge of "Dang, it's hot here!" I know, I was a whiny baby during the winter, but the summer is a beast of it's own. The actual temperature isn't unbearable, upper 80's-low 90's. It's the humidity. I've never experienced anything quite like it anywhere else. And ...

... park called Le Soleil. This is a farm park of sorts with flower gardens, veggie gardens, animals to pet, horses to ride and many other things. It was kind of like a carnival in the way you pay at each station. The first thing my kids wanted to do was ride the go-carts. At 610yen ($6.10) per ride, it quickly added up. I had to ride with each kid and they wanted to go twice. Daniel wasn't big enough to drive so he was my passenger. These go ...